It is a well-known, common practice for foreign textile firms to use U.S. produced raw materials to manufacture their finished goods. When such goods are exported to America for sale under certain trade agreements, such goods are exempt from import tariffs. Some foreign manufacturers have been known to engage in fraudulent deception, falsifying country-of-origin certifications in order to avoid paying import tariffs. Moreover, foreign and domestic entities have been known to further engage in fraudulent deception, selling counterfeit products commonly known as “knock-offs” to the domestic and international public. Examples of knock-offs are high-end replicates of garments, pocket books, wallets, etc. Such fraudulent activities represent illegal denial of revenues rightfully owed to the government, legal manufacturers, and legal sellers of such goods.
Moreover, the reputations of legal manufacturers, legal sellers of such goods, and their product lines are at stake, as well as potential litigations that may result even though the companies are not at fault. Deceptive practices as described above result in many millions of dollars in lost revenue annually.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,223 issued on Mar. 26, 2013 to Linda A. Lewis, et al. entitled “Invisible-Fluorescent Identification Tags for Materials.” An invisible-fluorescent preparation, called a tag or taggant, includes an invisible-fluorescent dye, such as an ink or paint, which, after application to a surface is invisible to the human eye under natural or room lighting, but fluoresce at a characteristic, invisible wavelength upon illumination by an appropriate light source. Tags are needed for use in identifying, without limitation, raw materials, textiles, apparels, garments, and other security or consumer products or parts.
Two deficiencies have been identified for a tag formulation proven heretofore to be most effective for marking textile products. Firstly, the formulation utilizes solvent carriers that are listed as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste and therefore are less desirable for use by manufacturers. Secondly, the formulation is sufficiently photo-sensitive to limit the useful lifetime thereof under exposure to either artificial or natural lighting.
In order to significantly advance the technology towards commercialization, objects and goals of the present invention include addressing the aforementioned deficiencies in order to produce an improved tag marking formulation that is considered non-hazardous and more robust in performance over time under typical lighting conditions anticipated for marked products.